The Eternal Garden is Complete

I finished “Eternal Garden” yesterday and am very happy with the results. I posted about the wonderful night I had as it all came together. The piece also ended on a high note when I thought to add some shells and stones from Queen St. beach, Cape May, NJ – Grandma‘s beach.

I’ve never created a piece that meant so much to me. The colors, fabric, their movement – it all has meaning. I hope the piece speaks to others as well.

Eternal Garden, a sewn textural collage by Julia Dziuba

The red fabric in the lower right corner represents my grandmother’s life. Red was her favorite color. White and gold come from her red flower. This represents my grandmother’s heaven. She takes with her stones from the Cape May shore and 4 pearls, one for each of her children.

After creating a flower the red fabric goes down into the earth and a component of it goes off to the blooming flowers. Four shells surround the base of these flowers, one for each of her children.

Lace connects the heaven to the blooming flowers. The lace reminds me of my grandmother’s home but also represents the memories and lessons she left with those that loved her.

Finally there is a story in the background of new life and death. The dark green represents new life. The new life is touched by those that have gone (the white and gold lines) but there is a struggle between the new life and death behind the lace. This is my own struggle with the continuation of life. New life dominates.

I hope you’ve enjoyed following this personal journey of mine.

On a final note I am proud to announce I submitted this piece to the Sun Gallery’s “A Thread Runs Through It” juried exhibition in Hayward, CA and it was accepted! The show dates are July 11 – August 11, 2012 at the Sun Gallery, 1015 E Street in Hayward, California. See you all there 😉